A round-up of ICC World Cricket League Division Five matches that took place on February 19 in Singapore

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2012Bahrain bounced back after a poor opening day on which they were bowled out for 49 to beat Argentina by 65 runs at the Kallang Ground in Singapore. After being put in, Bahrain opener Adnan Butt delivered a quick start, racing to 49 off 33 balls including four sixes.Though the innings slowed down considerably – Argentina struck at regular intervals – there were a series of steady contributions that kept Bahrain afloat. Adil Hanif (39) and Azeem ul Haq (27) were involved in a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket but the crucial innings came from Tahir Dar, whose unbeaten 46 off 44 balls helped Bahrain recover from the depths of 152 for 8. Together with Nos. 9 and 10, he added 61 for the last two wickets and Bahrain posted 213.Dar was also instrumental in Bahrain’s win with a fine bowling performance, taking 6 for 18 in a stand-out all-round effort. The Argentinian top order got starts but neither batsman managed a substantial contribution. Martin Siri made 46 but a collapse ensued, the last seven wickets fell for 20 runs and Dar made inroads. Argentina folded for 148, their second straight defeat.Malysia thrashed Cayman Islands by nine wickets at The Padang. Cayman Islands were in serious trouble after choosing to bat. They collapsed to a miserable 36 for 8 in the 21st over before the tail gave the tally some respectability by taking it past three-figures. Conroy Wright made 56 at No.9, and he was supported by Kervin Ebanks (19) and Alessandro Morris (14). For Malaysia, Suresh Navaratnam picked up 4 for 15, and Hiran Ralalage and Hassan Ghulam shared five wickets.
Shafiq Sharif led the way in the chase, making an unbeaten 74, while captain Ahmed Faiz, who had to retire hurt, chipped in with 33. The victory was sealed in the 31st over.Singapore‘s bowlers ensured that a late collapse by their batsmen wasn’t enough to prevent the hosts from brushing Guernsey aside by 78 runs at the Indian Association Ground. Buddika Mendis’ patient 77 had Singapore sitting strong on 191 for 3. None of the last six batsmen, though, could reach double figures as Singapore were dismissed for 223. The hosts began strongly when Amjab Mahboob dismissed Ross Kneller in the fourth over and Guernsey were soon struggling at 67 for 4. Jeremy Frith was the lone batsmen to resist with his 76, but the next-highest score by a Guernsey batsman was 18. Shoaib Razzak and Saad Janjua finished with three wickets each as Guernsey were bowled out for 145 in the 44th over.

Cricket South Africa acting president AK Khan and chairman of the audit committee John Blair have both resigned

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2012Cricket South Africa acting president AK Khan and chairman of the audit committee John Blair have both resigned from their posts. Their departures, announced at a meeting on Wednesday evening, come three days before a board meeting that is likely to decide the fate of the CEO Gerald Majola.Khan’s decision is the latest development in a tough period for South Africa’s administration which has included the bonus controversy related to the 2009 IPL that has led to a difficulty in finding sponsors for both international and domestic cricket in the country.”I would like to apologise to our fans and the country for the fact that this matter remains unresolved at the current time and I wish the future leadership of CSA all of the best,” Khan said. “But the fact has to be faced that we have not been able to resolve the problem that has bedevilled our cricket for the past two years and I believe the time has come for fresh leadership to take the game forward.”Khan has had two short stints as CSA president, first from February to May in 2011 then again from October that year. Blair, meanwhile, said the time had come for him to move on in the best interests of cricket.Last week the committee investigating the bonus payments ruled that Majola had violated the Companies Act and recommended that the case be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority. Majola has maintained his innocence and told newspaper on Tuesday that he declared the bonuses to the board but did not write them down.

Chamara Kapugedera, the middle-order batsman, has been named as a replacement for one of the three injured allrounders in the Sri Lanka squad that qualified for the finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Mar-2012Chamara Kapugedera, the middle-order batsman, has been named as a replacement for one of the three injured allrounders in the Sri Lanka squad that qualified for the finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series. Which of the injured players – Farveez Maharoof, Angleo Mathews and Thisara Perara – is being replaced, has not yet been decided. Sri Lanka will play Australia in the best-of-three finals from Sunday, in Brisbane.Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said that the team management, in consultation with the national selectors, had opted for a batsman. He will fly to Brisbane on Friday night. “The request was for a batsman for the No. 6 position and Kapugedera was picked,” Ranatunga said. “The team management will take a decision tonight, on which of these injured players will be sent home.”Kapugedera, who has not represented Sri Lanka since the World Cup final last April, had shown some form for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the ongoing domestic first-class competition, the Premier League Tier A tournament, scoring two hundreds in his previous four games. The pick of his innings was a 168-ball 158 in the first week of February, which came against defending champions Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club.Sri Lanka entered the final league match – a must-win game for them – without the services of Farveez Maharoof, who picked up a back complaint during Tuesday’s game against India in Hobart. Then, during the Australia chase, Thisara Perara and Angelo Mathews went off the field with injuries. Perera bowled only five balls before walking off with a back problem and Mathews was forced off with a calf injury. After the match, captain Mahela Jayawardene had said that he was hopeful that Mathews and Maharoof would be fit for Sunday’s game, but Perera’s chances of playing were less certain.Edited by Nikita Bastian

Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo04-Apr-2012Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.Strauss was the major talking point from an England point of view heading into the Colombo Test. While the team was winning, as they have done for much of the last three years, the fact Strauss was not contributing hugely with the bat was generally overlooked. He has scored one Test hundred in 48 innings although showed the fighting qualities he has always had with his 61 on the second day in Colombo.Swann, who took 4 for 75 to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 275, insisted Strauss had not been affected by the debate while adding the dressing room has barely given it another thought.”He hasn’t shown any signs,” he said. “We only realise he’s under scrutiny because some of us can read. I see it as a bit of a witch hunt and I think it is unjustified, but you wouldn’t tell from way he carries himself. He’s very laid-back and phlegmatic. He’s the best captain in world cricket and a world-class opening batsman. He’ll get nothing but support from me.”Barring his first two Tests against India in 2008, during Kevin Pietersen’s brief time in charge and the two games Alastair Cook captained in Bangladesh, Swann has played his entire Test career under Strauss. He believes there is still a huge amount of credit available to him for his time at the helm which has included two Ashes series victories and the climb to No. 1 in the world.”When anyone’s in a position like Straussy and when things aren’t going well like they have been then pressure builds up,” he said. “My view is that he should be afforded leeway because of what he’s done over the last two or three years.”I don’t think there’s any man as capable of leading a team in world cricket. He’s not in horrible nick, he’s getting good starts and it’s just one of those things all players go through. His barren spell is a lot better than other people’s has been and he’ll bounce back and be scoring hundreds before you know it.”

Andrew Strauss dropped three catches and scored just 2 as Michael Lumb’s 162 put Nottinghamshire in charge

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge10-May-2012
ScorecardMichael Lumb made his second century for Nottinghamshire since joining over the winter•Getty Images

When a fellow scores 162 it seems ridiculous to focus on the guy who makes only 2 but, on this occasion, it is unavoidable, given that their fortunes managed to intertwine. Michael Lumb made 162, Andrew Strauss 2.Needless to say, it is a score the England captain hoped he might exceed, especially after what had happened earlier. He owed his side a few runs, having dropped Lumb twice in two balls – on 95 and 99, both times off the medium pace of Neil Dexter – and put down Steven Mullaney, who made 61, on 34.Strauss’s latest brief encounter with county bowlers came at the end of a long day for Middlesex, who had watched Nottinghamshire put their own patchy batting form behind them to total 423, claiming maximum batting points after managing only one in total from their five previous matches.At the heart of this, clearly, was Lumb, who probably had a month’s worth of good fortune in one go after Middlesex revealed ways not to get him out that were not limited to Strauss’s error-prone day at first slip.The only consolation for Strauss, albeit a hollow one, was that he was not the sole guilty party. Taking catches at slip is always relatively difficult; holding steeplers at mid-on is meat and drink, yet Tim Murtagh dropped an absolute sitter there off Ollie Rayner, the tall off-spinner, when Lumb had made 86, just over half his final tally.Murtagh’s mistake, therefore, was the costlier, allowing Lumb the opportunity for another 76 runs. But with 27 added for his Mullaney mishap, when Rayner was again the man inclined to emit a shriek of frustration, Strauss trumped him with 94.He did hold on to a couple, it should be said. But, all in all, Strauss would not, you imagine, have been in the best frame of mind to face Stuart Broad under the Trent Bridge floodlights, without which he probably would not have made it beyond the indoor nets, such was the dark gloom cast by a leaden sky.Strauss has his own personal cloud, in any event. Yet it was not Broad who dealt another blow to his quest for runs, but Harry Gurney, a left-arm seamer he had never before encountered.Gurney, who followed James Taylor in moving from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire during the winter, was signed primarily with one-day cricket in mind but made a good impression after filling in for Andre Adams against Somerset last month and is keeping the more experienced Luke Fletcher out of the team in this match.Quicker than Strauss might have expected, Gurney troubled the England captain more than Broad had in his opening over and claimed his wicket with the first ball of his second, drawing the left-hander to fence at one outside off stump and give Chris Read a low catch.Strauss will not need reminding that he has only one Test century in his last 50 innings, so often has that statistic been repeated. The other one he will be disappointed with is 57 runs from his four supposedly recuperative innings for Middlesex.Gurney did not add a second wicket but Andre Adams weighed in with two, bringing his tally for the season to 30, and Middlesex have some way to go even to reach the follow-on target of 274.Lumb might also have been stumped, off Rayner on 148, but given that he batted for six and a half hours and hit 23 boundaries, some handsome strokes among them, it would be churlish, really, to suggest he was lucky. This was his second century for Nottinghamshire, whom he joined from Hampshire in the winter, and will confirm his liking for Trent Bridge, which was the backdrop to his career-best 219 in 2009.His partnership with Alex Hales for the second wicket was worth 150 and he helped Riki Wessels put on a further 83 for the third. Lumb and Mullaney then added 95 for the fourth before Murtagh, at mid-off, belatedly put right his earlier mistake.Mullaney enjoyed himself hugely, achieving the not inconsiderable feat of hooking Gareth Berg over the tall Bridgford Road stand for six. His 60 off 95 balls, supplemented by some enthusiastic late-order biffing, notably from Adams, took Nottinghamshire past 400 in the first innings for the first time at Trent Bridge since last July.Steven Finn, the other Middlesex player with England on his mind, ended with four wickets but struggled for line and rhythm and conceded 14 boundaries. Then again, he is only 22 and his days under a cloud can be more readily excused.

Gloucestershire gave their CB40 campaign a boost after an impressive performance with bat and ball by Will Gidman helped them record a crushing 109-run victory over Worcestershire at New Road.

10-Jun-2012
ScorecardGloucestershire gave their CB40 campaign a boost after an impressive performance with bat and ball by Will Gidman helped them record a crushing 109-run victory over Worcestershire at New Road.Gidman, the 27-year-old all-rounder, made his first limited-overs half-century in Gloucestershire’s total of 238 for 6 and then took 2 for 10 as the Royals limped to 129 all out after losing half their side for just 25.Worcestershire’s lowest 40-over score of 86 was looking some way off until left handers James Cameron (35) and Gareth Andrew (23) mustered a face-saving partnership of 46 with the help of a couple of fielding lapses by Gloucestershire.The failure of the front-line batsman was due to good, accurate seam bowling and a sluggish pitch which consistently shackled the stroke-makers. When Vikram Solanki drove to mid-on in Gidman’s third over, he set the pattern for a dramatic collapse.Moeen Ali edged a flashing drive off James Fuller and Phil Hughes, after successive CB40 centuries against county opposition, was one of two victims in a lively spell by left-arm seamer David Payne.Cameron was the only specialist batsman to survive for any length of time but he was brilliantly caught by Kane Williamson, back-pedalling towards long on for off-spinner Jack Taylor’s first success in a spell of 2 for 21.Earlier, it was the Gidman brothers, with fifties of contrasting styles, who underpinned a Gloucestershire innings that came to life when the last seven overs produced 64 runs. Left-hander Will continued his adjustment to a new role as a one-day opener with only three fours in making 76 from 98 balls and Alex launched the late surge with a 6-4-4-6 sequence off successive deliveries from Andrew.Those were the first boundaries in 16 overs as Gloucestershire finally tired of picking off singles on the stodgy surface.Hamish Marshall’s early rush was quickly halted when he scooped a straightforward catch to deep square leg and Benny Howell was barely under way when Hughes held a more difficult chance at point.Both wickets fell to the emerging left-arm seamer Jack Shantry, and at the end of the innings he took his CB40 tally to 14 wickets in six games this season after yorking Alex Gidman for 59. Shantry also bowled Ian Cockbain for a full return of 4 for 37 but Worcestershire’s support bowlers had limited success.Daryl Mitchell had Williamson (29) caught at deep midwicket from his third ball and Moeen was on target when Will Gidman heaved across the line after a stand of 97 with his brother.The victory was Gloucestershire’s third from five Group A matches this season, with Worcestershire slumping to their third defeat from six games.

Sachin Tendulkar has insisted he has no plans to retire from the ODI format though he has skipped all but two of India’s one-day series since last year’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2012Sachin Tendulkar has insisted he has no plans to retire from the ODI format though he has skipped all but two of India’s one-day series since last year’s World Cup. Tendulkar has also opted out of the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka starting later this month.”It’s not what XYZ think, it’s what I feel and I feel as long as I am enjoying and I feel like being part of it, I’ll continue (playing ODIs),” he told .On the subject of ending his one-day career, Tendulkar drew a parallel with his international Twenty20 retirement. “I felt I shouldn’t be part of the Twenty20 squad in 2007 and I had been asked (to stay on) but I felt I should not be part because the team did well. When I get that feeling in one-day cricket may be I would take that decision.”Tendulkar has played both of India’s one-day tournaments so far this year, but decided to sit out the upcoming Sri Lanka series. “I just wanted to spend time with my family, as simple as that,” he said. “I spoke to the BCCI and requested them. To be able to spend time with my children is also important.”In Tendulkar’s absence, India’s opening pair for the Sri Lanka series will be Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, who himself had asked for rest for the Asia Cup in March. Sehwag backed Tendulkar’s decision to miss the series. “Not only me but the whole country misses Sachin when he is not in action,” he told reporters in Delhi. “But one should realise that he is 39 years and he should be allowed to pick and choose which series he wants to go. He will certainly be available for the Test series against New Zealand.”

It was a relief for Scotland and Canada finally to get a cricket match, after their 4-day Inter Continental Cup match at Uddingston last week was completely washed out, and the two one-day internationals suffered a switch of venue.

Callum Stewart12-Jul-2012
ScorecardAlasdair Evans was the pick of the opening bowlers•ICC/Ian Jacobs

Calum MacLeod missed the chance of a hundred in bizarre circumstances but found joy all the same in his unbeaten 99 as Scotland took a step closer to World Cup qualification with a four-wicket defeat of Canada in Ayr.Scotland chased them a target of 177 in 42.1 overs, and took a step closer to the World Cup by overtaking UAE and moving into the second qualification spot.MacLeod would have had a chance for his century, was it not for an errant overthrow from a Canadian fieldsman, when the wicket keeper thought the game was already over.He said afterwards: “I was delighted with the team performance out there, and I’ve been fortunate to contribute in both ODIs, T20s and CB40s. Qualifying for the World Cup is the main goal, and it’s been a terrific job by the Ayr groundstaff this week to get the pitch playable.”This was no ordinary praise for the groundstaff. It was a relief for both teams to finally to get a cricket match underway after the four-day Inter Continental Cup match at Uddingston last week was completely washed out, and the two one-day internationals suffered a switch of venue and cancellation on three occasions.On the last possible day of play the sun was shining at Cambusdoon in Ayr. The ground staff had been working full time here for over a week just to make this game possible. Understandably, Scotland chose to field in the sunny, but damp conditions.Canada staggered to 177 all out in the last over, with Ruvindu Gunasekera providing the only real resistance with 53 before cheaply giving his wicket away.Canada’s opener Hiral Patel was trapped lbw early on by Alisdair Evans who was the pick of the opening bowlers. The gangly figure of Gunasekera produced some big if unorthodox shots and was the only Canadian batsmen to reach fifty, making 53 from 75 balls before he was stumped off the off-break bowler Majid Haq.It was a youthful Canada batting line-up. Nitish Kumar, 18, in at No 3, failed to live up to his reputation and was caught behind off the bowling of Josh Davey for just 9. Zeeshan Siddiqi steadied the ship, but was in danger of grinding Canada to a halt, as he stole most of the bowling at a strike rate of less than 50.Along with Damodar Deasrath he stopped the flow of wickets but allowed the Scottish bowlers to take control. Canada struggled to rotate the strike with the arrival of spinners Haq and Preston Mommsen who managed to pin down the run rate.Canada’s frustration eventually told. Siddiqi played a handful of erratic shots before trying to make room to cut the ball and chopping on, to the delight of the Scottish fielders. This was followed by a succession of three run outs, each due to miscommunication from the batsmen who could not decide whether they wanted a single or two, and then found themselves stranded in the middle.It all led to Scotland’s wicketkeeper Craig Wallace being involved in five wickets, with Haq bowling his allocated 10 overs for just 19 runs and taking two wickets.Scotland’s chase did not get off to an ideal start. They lost Northants’ batsman Kyle Coetzer in the second over when he played a flashing cut to a short ball, only to be taken by a great catch from Usman Limbada at backward point. This brought Davey to the crease at No 3 and he nudged and pushed the singles and rotated the strike along with MacLeod who despatched the ball to all corners from an early stage.MacLeod was the anchor of the Scottish innings as his team-mates came and went around him. It really was a solo performance as no other Scottish batsmen managed to get over 25.The pace bowling of Durand Soraine was expensive but yielded two key wickets. But Canada’s batting performance did not give their bowlers much to defend, and as such they were chasing wickets from an early stage. Scotland were always ahead of the run rate.

By this stage of an English summer, Marcus Trescothick customarily has scored around 1500 runs at a rather superior average than any other batsman in the country

Ivo Tennant at Taunton21-Aug-2012
ScorecardBy this stage of an English summer, Marcus Trescothick customarily has scored around 1500 runs at a rather superior average than any other batsman in the country and hence there is highly optimistic talk of a call-up for the final international match. It is axiomatic that he remains the best opener in the County Championship. For no fault of his own, the scenario has been altogether different this year.If Trescothick was going to be severely injured, as he was at Trent Bridge in May, it was best that this should happen this sodden summer. He was out of action for three months. In seven championship innings, which has been all he has managed owing to his ankle problem, he had not made a half century. He had not looked especially out of touch, but his had been a long lay-off and there was an instantaneous requirement to pick up his game, however late in the season and however bowler-friendly the conditions.Such encumbrance fell away now. In making an unbeaten 89, Trescothick rocked backwards and forwards and propelled the ball through to the cover boundary. There were the customary flicks off his legs, dabs to third man, which was not always tenanted, and, since he has managed to keep pretty fit, some good running between the wickets. A couple of winters ago he was offered £1m by his then bat sponsor if he cleared the pavilion at Lord’s. You would not have bet against him in this touch.Statistics can appear skewed and none more so than when the realisation dawned that Trescothick was approaching the 50th first-class century of his career. Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash are more or less contemporaries, are not nearly such successful international batsmen, and yet each has more than double that tally.Anyway, he will be pleased with this innings, for not only did it signal a return to form, but it was not scored on the kind of flat Taunton surface of old.There was appreciable turn before lunch for Monty Panesar, who thought he had had Trescothick caught at short leg on 60, following through as if he was a fast bowler. Umpire Nick Cook had a word with him at the end of the over. That was the one discordant note on a day when the ball constantly seemed to be hitting the sweet spot of his bat and go pinging off towards the boundary.The other Somerset batsmen did not fare so well. Arul Suppiah was soon bowled by Steve Magoffin, playing an indeterminate pushed drive; Chris Jones was caught at cover, not to the pitch of a rare ball that Panesar did not push through; and James Hildreth, going back to the same bowler and trying to square cut, was taken by Ben Brown. That was
131 for 3.Just before 3pm torrential rain began, preventing any further play. Sussex had not looked like dismissing Trescothick, surely still the best opening batsman in England, but they are in need of wickets, lying as they are 11 points behind Warwickshire, the Division One leaders. Last season Trescothick scored 1,673 first-class runs at an average of 79.66. Before his eighth innings of this season, he had mustered just 94 at 13.42. This innings will have brought about a significant improvement on those figures. He has hit 16 fours thus far.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the SLPL final between Nagenahira Nagas and Uva Next

The Preview by Andrew Fernando30-Aug-2012

Match facts

August 31, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)
Uva’s Jacob Oram has been the SLPL’s most miserly bowler with an economy rate of 3.94•Shaun Roy/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Big Picture

Before the tournament, few would have imagined either Nagenahira Nagas or Uva Next would reach the final, let alone both at once. On paper, Ruhuna Royals boasted bigger overseas stars, Basnahira Cricket Dundee the better local talent, and Wayamba United the X-factor players. Yet, the finalists have each performed at crucial moments to earn their passage.Both sides have ridden their fortune too. Nagenahira were lucky that a washout in the semi-final against Kandurata Warriors granted them automatic qualification, but were luckier still that the resurgent Kandurata were unable to play Uva Next in their round robin match on Saturday, robbing Kandurata of the chance to leap above them on the points table and go through to the final instead. For Uva, Jacob Oram’s all-round brilliance happily coincided with an off-colour Wayamba show on Tuesday, in the heist of the tournament.Nagenahira will have the psychological advantage of having beaten Uva comfortably on Monday, and are slight favourites. They may lack for a few star names, but they have relied on a few key players to lift the side. Imran Nazir’s blazing starts and Angelo Mathews’ calculated finishes have provided formidable bookends to their innings, while the attack has taken its cues from Shaminda Eranga and Ajantha Mendis.Bowling, meanwhile has been Uva’s forte. Following his three-wicket haul in the semi-final, Oram is now not only the league’s most miserly bowler with an economy rate of 3.94, he is also only one scalp short of being among the tournament’s top wicket-takers. Umar Gul may not have been picked for Pakistan’s ODIs against Australia, but his yorkers remain fearsome at the death, while Sachithra Senanayake and Seekuge Prasanna provide both variety and penetration with spin. If the Uva attack can topple Nazir early and silence Mathews towards the end, they will be favourites to win the trophy after qualifying fourth for the semi-finals.

Path to final

Nagenahira Nagas – Four wins and two losses in the round robin, qualified for the semi-finals at second place. Through to final on points after Wednesday’s semi-final was abandoned due to rain.Uva Next – Three wins, two losses and one draw (match abandoned due to rain) in the round robin, qualified for the semi-finals in fourth place. Through to the final after defeating top-placed Wayamba by 20 runs.

Watch out for

Ajantha Mendis (Nagenahira) has reclaimed a spot in Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 side through a strong SLPL performance and seems to have rediscovered the accuracy that saw him demolish international sides at the beginning of his career. He has added more flight to his deliveries as well, and his mystery remains largely intact in a domestic tournament that lacks the video analysis resources available at the top level.Dilhara Fernando (Uva) is tipped to return for the final, after missing all but three matches through injury, and will augment an already impressive seam battery. Fernando has the only five-wicket haul in the SLPL, and his split-finger slower ball still deceives batsmen who have played him for years. Overs from him at the beginning of the innings will allow the captain Thilina Kandamby to reserve more of Gul’s yorkers for later.

Team news

Nagenahira will be without Mushfiqur Rahim, who left the country on the eve of the final to join the Bangladesh tour to the West Indies, extending the trend of overseas players leaving for national duty just as the tournament reaches its climax. TM Sampath is likely to take over the gloves instead.Nagenahira Nagas (probable) : 1 Imran Nazir, 2 Udara Jayasundera, 3 Travis Birt, 4 Colin de Grandhomme, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Angelo Perera, 7 TM Sampath (wk), 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Shaminda Eranga, 10 Ben Laughlin/ Kanishka Alvitigala, 11 Ajantha MendisGul and Fernando having recovered from their niggles, Uva have a fully fit squad to choose from. None of their major players have left the tournament either.Uva Next (probable): 1 Dilshan Munaweera, 2 Upul Tharanga (wk), 3 Thilina Kandamby (capt), 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Chinthaka Jayasinghe, 6 Andrew McDonald, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Sachithra Senanayake, 9 Seekkuge Prasanna, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Charith Jayampathi

Stats and trivia

• Shaminda Eranga and Ajantha Mendis have taken 11 and 10 wickets respectively. The remaining Nagenahira bowlers have 14 between them
• Jacob Oram’s most expensive figures, 1 for 22 from three overs, came against Nagenahira
• Dilshan Munaweera is the only batsman from either team among the tournament’s five top runscorers, with 168 runs and a strike-rate of 135.
  

  Pitch and conditions

  Three days of heavy rain in the lead-up does not bode well for the final, particularly as scattered thunderstorms are forecast for Friday evening. A shortened final may well be on the cards. The Premadasa pitch may also be more conducive to swing, having had precious little sunshine to dry it out over the past week.

  Quotes

  “I don’t think Jacob [Oram] gets the new ball much when he plays for New Zealand. We’ve given him the new ball here and he has become a totally different bowler.”
  “I always try to give myself a chance to bat till the end because I know I can catch up later on. I know how to approach the game from that position and go about finishing off an innings.”
  .